This invention relates to a portable electronic labeler having a thermal print head. More specifically, the invention relates to a hand held and easily carried label printer and applicator which is suited for marking prices on merchandise and printing labels with price bar codes. The labeler can be interfaced to an optical reader or the like to read the price bar code and as such it may be used, for example, at checkout counters
Stationary, desktop-type printers are often used for printing labels and for applying the labels to merchandise. Such desktop printers are however large and heavy and require that the merchandise be brought to the printer. This and the cumbersome way in which the labels are attached to the merchandise makes the overall process of printing and applying labels inefficient.
Portable label printing and attaching devices ("hand labelers") are often used in place of the bulkier desktop printers. However, hand labelers are not as sophisticated as desktop printers and are more likely to produce errors in handling data such as prices, check sum digits and the like. They also produce an inferior printing quality, which is of concern particularly with respect to bar code printing where precision in printing is important.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an electronic hand labeler with a thermal print head which incorporates the more desirable features of both desktop printers and hand labelers to thus provide good overall operational efficiency and high precision in printing.
Conventional hand labelers provide label-trip threading systems wherein a roll of strip-shaped labels is loaded in a label transport section which is located in a main body portion of the hand labeler. Rotating transport rollers in the hand labeler which are coupled to a motor move the strip of labels automatically to a thermal head portion which is located toward the front region of the hand labeler. Thereafter, the labels are peeled off from a leading end of a backing sheet on which they are located and that backing sheet is bent backward over a bending pin. The backing sheet is drawn toward the rear in the hand labeler where a pair of motor driven guide rollers engage the backing sheet by traction to pull it out of the housing of the hand labeler.
This conventional, motor-driven threading system has many drawbacks including the need to expend extra time and follow a complex procedure to load the labels in the hand labeler.